Fruit flavoured teas and drinks can lead to tooth erosion

Tooth erosion can be influenced by how people eat and drink as well as what they eat and drink, research shows.

An investigation by King’s College London has found that the chances of developing tooth erosion can be most significantly increased by eating and drinking acidic foods and drinks, particularly between meals.

It also found that consuming acidic drinks twice a day between meals, such as soft drinks, water with a slice of lemon or hot fruit flavoured teas, can increase the chances of moderate to severe tooth erosion by 11 times.

‘It is well known that an acidic diet is associated with erosive tooth wear, however our study has shown the impact of the way in which acidic food and drinks are consumed,’ lead author of the study, Dr Saoirse O’Toole, said.

‘With the prevalence of erosive tooth wear increasing, it is vitally important that we address this preventable aspect of erosive tooth wear.

‘Reducing dietary acid intake can be key to delaying progression of tooth erosion.

Tooth erosion

Tooth erosion affects more than 30% of adults around Europe with the study ranking it as ‘the third most important’ dental condition.

Researchers in the study identified foods, drinks and medications that can be more erosive to teeth.

Chief among them were drinks that had added fruit or fruit flavourings, with the researchers claiming that putting fruit or fruit flavouring in a drink can increase the erosive potential of a drink to put it on a par with cola.